Saturday, November 8, 2008

#31_Banana Cream Pie


Calori-fic Dessert!


Forget your calorie counting because this is a calori-fic dessert. I don't know how else to describe it but just that....a calorie-laden dessert and yet it it terrific.

A friend gave me this recipe more than 20 years ago and it has been in the family since then. It is one of a few recipes I never altered or modified because there's no reason to, except for the garnish that I added.



My husband didn't care much for the garnish of shaved chocolate. He said the chocolate takes away the taste of the bananas. Hmmmm, now that I think about it, he did not make sense because his favorite milk shake is chocolate banana. I didn't dispute his criticism then because I actually forgot that he used to order that flavor of milk shake until now that I'm writing about it. He's been on a no-sweet diet since the first of the year until Halloween day when he went nuts over those treats we were giving out. I will not discuss how much candy bars he ate. Well, at least he only had 2 slices of banana cream pie!
Actually, I don't usually garnish it, I just did it today because I want it to look kind of dressed up for presentation and eye appeal. I think though, the bananas and the chocolate blended well together. The chocolate adds texture and color and also flavor to the pie.

The recipe is really simple and easy to make and it only calls for 6 ingredients. It requires no baking, but it is even easier if you use a food processor to mix the pudding as it only takes a minute. If you use a hand mixer to mix it, it takes awhile to get to the spreading consistency.


Here's the recipe:
2 prepared graham cracker pie crusts
1 large (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 large box (4 envelopes) dream whip
3 cups cold fresh milk
1 (8oz) cool whip or whipped cream, thawed
4-5 bananas, ripe but firm
Procedures:
1. Slice the bananas crosswise and line them up in the prepared pie crusts.
2. In a food processor, combine the vanilla pudding mix and the dream whip. Add 3 cups milk and process until thick,but of spreadable consistency.
3. Spread the pudding over the bananas.
4. Top with cool whip
5. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing
Note:
1. To prevent the bananas from getting dark, sprinkle some Ever Fresh fruit protector found in the canning section of your grocery store.
2. If you don't have Cool Whip, you can use 1 pint of heavy cream and whip it with 1 cup white sugar.

7 comments:

  1. This is another dessert that is in my to do list. It has simple ingredients and easy to make. I will keep you posted once I make this. It looks so inviting! Like you said, I am sure it tastes terrific!

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  2. this is one of my husband's and the rest of the family's favorite dessert. truly easy to make!!

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  3. I was at Macy's yesterday looking for a mini food processor and I found cuisinart 21 oz mini prep processor on sale for $29.99. Do you think this small size processor will do? You have another recipe here that uses cookies as base and you use the food processor to grind it, that really enticed me to get one but I am wondering if I am better off with a good size processor or if this mini one is good enough.

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  4. Anonymous, I'm not really an expert on food processor, but here is my take on the matter. I would look for what blade/blades is included in it that would perform the task you wanted. For instance, when I bought mine a few years ago, I didn't go with the kind that has multiple blades(some has 10 blades, one for each task). those are neat but I will seldom use those other blades and will occupy a lot of space in my drawers. So I went for a mediocre one that has only two blades: one is for chopping..can chopped garlic, onions, nuts and grind bread and cookies and others. It is also very useful in making the fillings like for the banana cream pie. The other blade is a combination of slicer and when flipped it is a grater, which I seldom use anyway.. So, look for something that will be functional for you. Otherwise, you'll end up putting it away in your shelf. I hope I make sense for you.
    Take care and good luck!!

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  5. Anonymous, by "blade", I meant attachments.

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  6. Can you buy fresh milk at the grocery store? Is there a good substitute? I got a $9.99 mini 1 1/2 cup bowl black and decker for mincing and chopping. I think the more you pulse the smoother it becomes, so I hope this will serve me well. I do want to make this recipe for sometime now.

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  7. FREsh milk is the kind we drink, but use the regular kind, not 1%
    You might want to split the cream filling if you are using a mini chopper as it might not hold the whole amount at the same time.
    Hope this will turn out good for you.
    Take care!

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